Heating installation



A ril 14, 1942. c. F. SENS ON 2,279,772

' v HEATING INSTALLATION 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed May 29, 1939 3nventor 22 2 Carl P- Benson attorney April 14, 1942.

c. P. BENSON HEATING INSTALLATION "2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 19-39 O ll) v 66, l 0 bS Fig.3

Fig.4

' I I Snnentor COFI D- Benson 4 v (Ittomeg Patented Apr. 14, 1942 UNITED- STATES PATENT -:-F'FI%CE HEATING INSTALLATIoN' CarlP. Benson, Bremerton, Wash.

Application May 29,1939, Serial No.276,ss1

' Claims. c1. 2s7 51) My invention relates to the heating of structures, residences in particular, and has for its object the conservation of heat and fuel, and the better application and control of the hot gases, smoke, etc. to the heating of the house.

In one specific aspect the invention has for its object the provision of means whereby more of the heat developed in a heater which is heated by'an oil burner, for example, may be conserved or stored and applied to the heating of an upper floor of the building.

My invention will be best understood from a study of the accompanying drawings, wherein it is shown in a typical installation, and of the present specification and the claims which terminate the same.

Figure 1 is in part an elevation of the chimney, and in part a section through the same and through certain floors of a house, illustrating an installation made in accordance with my invention, the View being substantially along the line l-l of Figure 4.

Figure 2 is a section through the same at right angles to Figure 1, as indicated approximately by the lines 2--2 of Figures 1 and 4..

Figure 3 is a cross section at the upper level of the by-pass flue, and Figure 4 is a section adjacent the lower level of the by-pass flue, as indicated by the respective lines 3-3 and 44 of Figure 2.

Briefly stated, the invention proposes the construction of a chimney of material such as brick, masonry or the like, adapted to absorb and retain heat, having not only the normal vertical flue, but an alternative by-pass flue, the latter of which provides an elongated and circuitous'path for the hot gasesymainly disposed at the levelv of the main floor, or that floor which is to be principally heated, although it may likewise extend upward to a floor above. Damper means are provided to control and direct the hot gases, so that they may, at the'commencement of firing, when the chimney flue is cold, pass directly'up the chimney with the least obstruction, but by means of which the hot gases,once circulation has been established, may befdirected through the by-pass flue, thereby to heat up the brick-' work at the main floor level, the brickwork ab sorbing the heat from the hot gases and giving it of! slowly to the main floor level,:and thus abstracting and putting toa useful purpose what would otherwise be waste 'heat. Provision is also made whereby the initial combustion may be either in a burner such as would be connected with a normal furnace in the basement, or a fireplace or other burner at the main floor level. Provision is also made mappropriate-cases, particularly where a fireplace is employedand where the furnace heater is heated by av burner such as an oil burner that islin turn ignited and .then

fireplace is at thelevel of the'main floor, indi- I sated at 39. There may be also anupperfloor, indicated at 40, and the masonry or'brickwork of the'furnace may, if desired, be extended entirely-through the main floor level to :project'into or through they upper floor level, as indicated at M. The extension past the main floor level is,

however, optional.

In the vertical'flue I-0,::above the point of connection of they fireplace outlet H to the vertical flue l0,'I provide a damper 5; suitable means, such as the handle 50, accessible from the main floor level or extended to any convenient point, are provided for turning the damper, so that it may either close, ofi this vertical flue or permit the same to besubstantially freely open. In the drawings it is shown as closed. Itwould normally be opened when the chimney is cold and '1 it is desired to start a fire, in order to obtain the most direct upward draft and to heat the upper part of the chimney, and thus to start movement of the gases upwardly'through the flue.

Below the level of the damper '5, but above the smoke connection-at t2, and preferably not lower than .thesmokeconnection at H, is the entrance from the flue I0 of a by-pass flue, the .exit of which; backinto the vertical flue .10, is at 6|, above the damper 5. Between theaentrance 60 and the :exit 6| the by-pass flue constitutes a path .of appreciable length through the brick- 1 work, so that when the damper 5 is closed'and the hot, gases .are' directed through the by-pass flue the brickwork will be heated by heat abstracted from thehot'gases, and will slowly give up this heat to maintain the temperature of the room. Thisresultwill occur, with the'arrangement'shown; whether thesourceof the heatis the burner =22 that heats the ffurnace 2, or a fire T in the fireplace 3. The particular nature and shape of the path afforded by the by-pass flue, and the points to which it extends, are largely immaterial. Since it would normally be intended only for heating themain floor level it would normally lie principally at the level of the main floor 30, that is, between the floor 30 and the floor 40, but it may extend, and in the present instance is shown as extending, in part above the level of the upperfloor 40.

In the specificform shown, then, the by-pass flue extends from its inlet 50 downwardly, as indiated at 62, thence is offset to one side of the vertical flue I0, inthis instance forwardly, as indicated at as, near the level of the flodr30itself Thence it extends upwardly, as indicated at 64, and may extend as far upwardly as is convenient, at least to the extent that will notunduly diminish the draft and cause smoking, this extent depending upon the conditions obtaining in any given installation. As shown herein, the upward runafil extends into the extension [4, anda'bove tion of heat and fuel.

The fireplace 3 is in the present instance shown as-equipped with a normal fireplace damper 3|,

- controlled in its position by a chain 32 or other the level of the floor 40, and atits upper end it then extends, transversely, to the opposite'side of thevertical flue [0, as indicated at 65. Thence it extends downwardly, 'as indicated at 66, and at a low point, normally adjacent the level of the floor 30, it'is offset-again, this time oppositely to.

its offset 63, asindicated at 61, and then upwardly as indicated at'68 to its outlet 6| above the damper 5. It will readily be appreciated that the heat takeniup from the hot gases by the brickwork inzsuch a circuitous path is appreciable in amount, and when given off slowly from the brickswill materially assist in maintaining the temperature of the room.

- The burner22 which is'shown is an oil burner,

although a gas burner, for instance, will serve equally well. Preferably, though not essentially as, to all phases of the invention, the burner is one which is ignitedwhen needed and when the temperature of-thehouse has risen to a sufiicient degree the burnerv is completely extinguished;

The interior of the furnace is usually lined with ,refractorybrick and the like, and therefore absorbs and retains'a considerable amount of heat from the flame of the burner 22. After the burner hasbeen extinguished there is no longer any smoke.nor odor from the burner, and air,

which enters the furnace, plays upon thelhot lining of the furnace,- and tends to rise. Normally it passes out through the flue and is lost.

if the damper Sis likewise closed, hot air arising from; the furnace, and originating,.for instance, from the air heated by the heated refractory brick'liningof the furnace, cannot escape up the chimney flue, butinstead is caused to pass out through the smoke outlet ll into the fireplace 3 and thence out into the room, wherein is located the fireplace; 1 I a I It has been' foundin practice that within'a short time,.threeto five minutes, after the burner 22 has'closed down, and while there-is still a large-amount .of' residual heat in the furnace,

both dampers 5 and flicanbe closed, and a very" suitable means, but such a damper is largely superfluous in such an installation. It may be provided, however, to prevent escape of warm air from theroom upthe flue whenever conditions are such that heat might be lost in thism'anner. This, however, is the normal function of such fireplace dampers, and such loss of hot air from the room through the fireplace throatmay be prevented byclosure of the .dampers Sand 1,

without the necessity of employing the damper It'will be obvious that many changes may be made in the form and arrangement of the elements of my invention, and I have described only atypical form. Such changes, however, that in-, corporate the principles of my invention are still withinv the intended scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Means for heating a house havinga main floor and a lower floor, including, in'combina- 'tion, a chimney having a vertical flue extending through the floors, a fireplace at the main floor level having a smoke'outlet connecting to the floor level, a damper in thevertical flue, above the fireplace smoke connection and between the inlet to and the outlet from the bypass flue, movable to close off the vertical flue, to directhot gases from either the heater or the fireplace through the by-pass flue, and a second damper in the by-pass flue, whereby if both said dampers are closed, to' direct hot gases from theheater through the fireplace smoke outlet and into the room.

2. Means for heating a house havinga having avertical flue. extending from the lower floor through suchupper floor, a, heater on .the

lower floor having a fluid fuel burnerinits combustion space, and having a smoke outlet com-"- municating between the fluidfuel'combustion space and said flue, means op'erable'to cutoff supply of. fuel to said'burner'for extinguishing its fire, a duct extending fromsa'id-flue to the living space of said upper floor, and'damp'er means in the vertical flue above the duct'connection'with thevertical flue, movable to ,close such flue afterv complete extinguishment of said burner life by operation of said first means, for forcing: 'air,

supplied to said heatersoombustion space after: the'fire therein isthus lextingui'shed and heated lower floor and an upper floor, comprising a chimney Wardly and opening from its lower end into the by the residual heat of such space, from said flue through said duct to the upper floor.

3. Means for heating a house having a lower floor and an upper floor, comprising a chimney having a vertical flue extending from the lower floor through the upper floor, a fireplace on the upper floor having a smoke outlet extending'up- Ward into the vertical flue, a heater on the lower floor having a fluid fuel burner therein, and having a smoke outlet communicating between the fluid fuel combustion space and said flue, means operable to cut oil supply of fuel to said burner for extinguishing its fire, and a damper in the vertical flue above the fireplace outlet connection with the vertical flue, movable to close such flue after complete extinguishment of said burner fire by operation of said means, for forcing air, heated within said heaters combustion space by the residual heat of such space, from said flue downward through the fireplace smoke outlet to the upper floor.

4. Means for heating a house, comprising a heater having a fluid fuel burner therein, and having a smoke outlet from its combustion space to the atmosphere outside the house, means operable to out oil. supply of fuel to said burner for extinguishing its fire, a duct extending downliving space of the house and affording communication with the heaters combustion space, and damper means in said smoke outlet movable toward closed position after complete extinguishment of said burner fire by operation of said first means, for forcing air, heated within said heaters combustion space by the residual heat of such space, downward through said duct to the living space'of the house. v

5. The method of heating a building, which comprises burning fluid fuel in a closed combustion space while discharging the noxious combustion gases only to the exterior atmosphere,- 

